British Foreign Secretary David Lammy made his first official visit to Syria in more than a decade on July 5, announcing the restoration of bilateral diplomatic relations. About this reported press service of the British Foreign Ministry. The move was a result of political changes in the country after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.
During his visit to Damascus, Lemmy held talks with the interim President of Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, and the new Foreign Minister, Asad Al-Shaibani. As reported by the British Foreign Office, the key topic of the meetings was support for the democratic transition in Syria. The British minister emphasized the need to form an inclusive and representative political system and confirmed London’s readiness to support the Syrian people on this path.
Among the support announced is an extra £2 million for the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Syria. These funds should help in the further dismantling of the remnants of the chemical arsenal that remained after the previous regime.
Humanitarian and rehabilitation aid was announced as a separate block. The UK is providing £94.5m for emergency aid to civilians, long-term recovery through education and employment programmes, as well as support for Syria’s neighboring countries, which are hosting large numbers of refugees.
It will be recalled that after the fall of the Assad regime, Western countries began to gradually revise their policy towards Syria. In particular, US President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of sanctions introduced against the Syrian regime back in 2004. Lemmy’s visit was a symbolic confirmation of the new course of international cooperation with the renewed government in Damascus.
